MEL KARMAZIN, VIACOM: A Media Mogul Who Would Love To Be No. 1

MEL KARMAZIN VIACOM

"You here to ask me about Iraq?" Mel Karmazin wants to know as he strides into a conference room at Viacom's headquarters in New York City. Karmazin is here to talk about Viacom's business. But irreverent charm is part of his act and part of what makes him one of the longest-running hits on Wall Street. Karmazin, 59, made his name in radio, running Infinity Broadcasting, which he sold in 1996 to Westinghouse (which had acquired CBS a year earlier). He became CEO of CBS in January 1999 and within a year persuaded Viacom chairman and CEO Sumner Redstone to buy...